Genealogy Chat

Can anyone with information on where to go to find my grandfather who we believe was born in Bonn, Germany in 1891. Is there a online search engine for Germany?

https://familysearch.org/ is a free site which has a number of records

http://www.cyndislist.com/categories/#f is a FH research portal.

Ancestry.co.uk (subscription) also hold some (in German)

German BMD are held by province, rather than nationally.

Welcome to the Community boards John.


(I'll let John know how to find this reply) :-)

Thank you for the info, have tried familysearch and nothing comes up there. My sister is a member of ancestry so she will look on that site.

if you care to give us some details, one of us may be able to find something for you

Ann x

My G.Fathers name was James Louis Harman, according to a marriage certificate he was born in Bonn, Germany in 1891. That is all the info I have, I have found the same name in London but birth date is 1893 although name is same, I think that this may not be my relative. I have some army documents from WW1 which are definately my grandfathers as he was with Kings Royal Rifles during WW1. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

John

Is this census where you have found ? your James - birth year more likely to be 1892

1911 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
96 Speke Road Battersea, Battersea, London, England

First name(s) Last name Relationship to household head Marital condition Gender Age Birth year Birth place Occupation
Louise Sargent Head Widow Female 43 1868 Battersea Charwoman
James Louis Harman Son Single Male 18 1893 Battersea Shop Assistant

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

And is this who you think is James - no middle name given

Name: James Harman
Regiment or Corps: King's Royal Rifle Corps, Labour Corps
Regimental Number: 5658, 346308
The address is 21 Alma St, Oxford Road, Reading, Berks in 1922 when he applied for the 1914 Star Medal

1901 for the same family

1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
74, Grant Road, Battersea, Wandsworth, London, England

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Emily Walkley Head Widow Female 61 1840 None Westminster, Middlesex, England
Clara Walkley Daughter Single Female 20 1881 - Battersea, Middlesex, England
Louisa Harman Daughter Widow Female 33 1868 Domestic Servant Battersea, Middlesex, England
James Harman Grand Son - Male 8 1893 - Battersea, Middlesex, England

This is the birth that would go with that census

England & Wales births 1837-2006 Transcription

First name(s) JAMES LOUIS
Last name HARMAN
Birth year 1892
Birth quarter 3
District WANDSWORTH
County London
Country England
Volume 1D
Page 631

Louisa's first marriage
England & Wales marriages 1837-2008 Transcription

First name(s) LOUISA ESTHER
Last name WALKLEY
Marriage quarter 4
Marriage year 1888
Registration month -
MarriageFinder™ LOUISA ESTHER WALKLEY married one of these people
WILLIAM NASMAN STOKES, ALBERT LEWIS HARMAN
Spouse's last name -
District WANDSWORTH
District number -
County London
Country England
Volume 1D
Page 1228

4th person is a Mary A Shaw and a William and Mary A Stokes are in Battersea, Wandsworth 1891

-------------------------------------------------------------
and her second

England & Wales marriages 1837-2008 Transcription

First name(s) LOUISA HESTER
Last name HARMAN
Marriage quarter 1
Marriage year 1907
MarriageFinder™ LOUISA HESTER HARMAN married one of these people
THOMAS RANDOLPH WHITE, RICHARD GEORGE SARGENT

1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Manor Road, West Ham, Essex, England

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
Albert Harman Head Married Male 28 1863 Candle Maker Lambeth, Surrey, England
Louisa Harman Wife Married Female 24 1867 - Battersea, Surrey, England
Albert J Harman Son - Male 1 1890 - Battersea, Surrey, England
William Harman Son - Male 0 1891 - Stratford, Essex, England

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Possible death of Albert Harman

England & Wales deaths 1837-2007
First name(s) ALBERT
Last name HARMAN
Gender Male
Birth year 1862
Age 33
Death quarter 2
Death year 1895
District WANDSWORTH
County London
Volume 1D
Page 326

So the 2 elder children who are not with the widowed Louisa in 1901 are Located Penge (Kent), Croydon, Surrey in 1901

1901 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription

First name(s) Albert
Last name Harman
Relationship Pauper Inmate
Marital status -
Gender Male
Age 11
Birth year 1890
Occupation Scholar
Birth town Wandsworth
Birth town as transcribed WANDSWORTH
Birth county Surrey
Birth place England

William aged 10 also there

I will leave all this posted in case it is your family, but if your James Louis Harman was born in Germany, then it can't be the same one, unless the family nipped over there, he was born and they came back to UK to register the birth.

I was hoping to find an Army link for the Father to possibly explain an overseas birth but I think the records found can definitely rule this out.

Can you give all the details from the marriage certificate please

If it isn't his, could you tell us who he married, where and when

and also his date of death, age at death and where he died

Marriage certificate from 1926 to Margaret Warner says fathers from Bonn, Germany. This was given by my cousin so I am not 100% sure, although we were always told that grandfather was with the Kings royal rifles as he was brought back to england as an infant. The problem I have had is my fathers birth certificate says mothers maiden name is Bolton and I cannot find any marriage with James Louis Harman and Bolton. He married at least twice firstly to Vera Clarke in 1915 and again in 1926 to Margaret Warner, but my father James Oswald Harman was born in 1918 and died in 2011. We just cannot confidently confirm the family.

May I just say "Thank you for all this information", we did have some but not all details. I am wondering if he (as you suggested) was born abroad but registered in England. My father did live in Battersea for a short while, but other than that I have nothing.

Thank you again Greyghost the info is very helpful.

John

Was there a 3rd marriage (or 2nd as the case may be) ???

England & Wales marriages 1837-2008 Transcription

First name(s) JAMES L
Last name HARMAN
Marriage quarter 2
Marriage year 1922
Registration month -
MarriageFinder™ JAMES L HARMAN married
ANNIE A HUSSELBY
Spouse's last name HUSSELBY
District WANDSWORTH
District number -
County London
Country England
Volume 1D
Page 1370

Marriage 1915 - James Louis Harman to Violet M Clarke

Are you sure that VIOLET's maiden name was Clarke. If she had been married before, then Clarke would not be her maiden name.

??
First name(s) ERNEST CHARLES
Last name CLARKE
Marriage quarter 2
Marriage year 1909
Registration month -
MarriageFinder™ ERNEST CHARLES CLARKE married one of these people
VIOLET MAY BOLTON, LOUISA OXFORD
Spouse's last name -
District WANDSWORTH
District number -
County London
Country England
Volume 1D
Page 852

If this is Violet's death

England & Wales deaths 1837-2007 Transcription

First name(s) VIOLET M
Last name HARMAN
Gender Female
Birth year 1888
Age 33
Death quarter 2
Death year 1921
District WANDSWORTH
County London
Volume 1D
Page 463

---------------------------------------------
then this is probably her birth

England & Wales births 1837-2006 Transcription

First name(s) VIOLET MAY
Last name BOLTON
Birth year 1888
Birth quarter 3
District WANDSWORTH
County London
Country England
Volume 1D
Page 597

And probably her on the 1891 census - a well travelled family

1891 England, Wales & Scotland Census Transcription
Stockwood Street, Battersea, Wandsworth, London, England

First name(s) Last name Relationship Marital status Gender Age Birth year Occupation Birth place
James Bolton Head Married Male 43 1848 Bricklayers Labourer Oxfordshire, England
Jane Bolton Wife Married Female 41 1850 - Kent, England
Rachel Bolton Daughter Single Female 19 1872 Laundry Maid Freemantle, Hampshire, England
Frederick Bolton Son - Male 15 1876 Cats Meat Vendor Middlesex, England
Charles Bolton Son - Male 7 1884 Scholar Southampton, Hampshire, England
Louisa Bolton Daughter - Female 5 1886 Scholar Battersea, Middlesex, England
Violet Bolton Daughter - Female 3 1888 - Battersea, Middlesex, England

This is beginning to make sense now. Wow I can't thank you enough and so quickly finding this information. I believe that if he was actually born in Germany, then it would seem he was brought to england as an infant. Could this be the reason that birth year is different? The Bolton find makes sense of it all now and they seemed to stay in the Battersea area of London. It looks like my grandfather was also married 3 times.

Thank you again. :-D :-D

Looks like there was another child born before your Grandad - James L(Louis?)

England & Wales births 1837-2006 Transcription

First name(s) JAMES L
Last name HARMAN
Birth year 1916
Birth quarter 2
Registration month -
Mother's last name BOLTON
District WANDSWORTH
County London
Country England
Volume 1D
Page 1018

Died Q2 1916 Wandsworth 1D 538